Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I said 'tax cuts for millionaires'. They should do their job and they would find out that the levy that they are talking about actually kicks in at $180,000. I do not know about you, Mr Deputy Speaker Coulton, but when I say 'millionaire' that is not someone who earns $180,000. So let's get the facts straight before we start talking about such issues.

Fairness is not having a marginal tax rate of 49 per cent, which is what those opposite—and let's remember this—would like for us here in Australia. I am sorry, but I do not believe that a dollar for you is also a dollar for the nation. I do not believe in that. What incentive is there to work hard, to build a business, to take on extra responsibility at work or to take on risks in the marketplace for a business, if you are rewarded by theft of the highest order from your government? It is just not fair.

But let us go back to the school funding, because it is my favourite topic at the moment—just like those opposite, except my conversation is more grounded in fact rather than fairy-tale land. Of all the special deals that we have heard about that were cut under Labor, not one was going to benefit or currently benefits schools in my electorate of regional Western Australia. As it happens, Western Australia is right at the bottom of the league ladder in terms of public school funding in this country. This is despite clearly having some of the greatest need in the country. Mr Deputy Speaker Coulton, like in your electorate of Parkes, I have some of the most disadvantaged Australian—students in particular—and I do not think Labor actually cares whether their needs are met, because Labor cares more about meeting the needs of inner city schools in Sydney and Melbourne rather than regional Western Australia.

But let us take a closer look at what those opposite have been up to lately. I really do not think we can believe one word that they say. Even today we saw the Manager of Opposition Business caught out by his own former employer—clearly no loyalty there—The Daily Telegraph, quoting the Manager of Opposition Business's strong support for 'stricter English speaking requirements'. He considered it so important that he actually wrote of his support for this in the very first column that he ever wrote for that publication. He also said that he supports every person entering Australia signing a declaration to respect our laws and way of life. But yesterday he decided that he did not like that position. He decided that that was a 'bizarre act of snobbery'. If you look up the word 'snobbery' you see that it means that you think that you are better than someone else.

Ms Butler interjecting—

I think everyone would agree that people who want to be citizens should be able to speak our language.

Ms Butler interjecting—

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